unpowered

unpowered — adjective

  • unpoweredpositive
  • more unpoweredcomparative
  • most unpoweredsuperlative

1. not using a motor, electricity, or another source of mechanical power

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

not using a motor, electricity, or another source of mechanical power

Example

Kenji trained in an unpowered glider before flying small planes alone.

unpowered + glider in pilot training

The clinic keeps an unpowered wheelchair near the lift for emergencies.

unpowered + wheelchair in equipment descriptions

Common collocations
  • unpowered glider
  • unpowered wheelchair
  • unpowered lawn mower
  • unpowered doors
  • unpowered flight
Synonyms
  • motorless

    very close in meaning, especially for vehicles or machines without an engine

  • manual

    stresses that a person operates it by hand, not just that it lacks a motor

  • battery-free

    narrower; it only says that batteries are not used

Antonyms
  • powered

    driven by a motor, electricity, or another built-in power source

  • motorized

    used especially for machines and vehicles fitted with a motor

Grammar Patterns

unpowered + glider/wheelchair/tool/vehicle

be unpowered

Usage Note

Often used in product or transport descriptions to contrast something with a powered version. It usually suggests that movement comes from a person, wind, or another outside force rather than from a built-in motor.

Common Mistakes

After the vote, the mayor felt unpowered.
After the vote, the mayor felt powerless.
unpowered describes equipment or vehicles, not a person's lack of control.
The toy boat is unpowered because the wind moves it.
The toy boat is wind-powered.
if wind or another force drives it, the item is not unpowered.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Unpowered and motorless are the closest pair. Both describe something that does not run on an engine or motor, but motorless is used most often for vehicles and machines. Manual shifts the focus to human action: a manual wheelchair or manual toothbrush is operated by a person, even if the item is not being compared with a powered version. Battery-free is narrower because it only tells you that batteries are not needed; a battery-free device might still use a cable, sunlight, or another energy source. Choose unpowered when the important contrast is simply that the thing has no built-in motor or electrical drive, as in an unpowered glider or an unpowered door system.

unpowered ↗motorless ↗manual ↗battery-free

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • be unpowered
  • remain unpowered
  • an unpowered version

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English by adding the negative prefix un- to powered. The base word comes from power, which ultimately goes back through Anglo-French and Old French to Latin potere, meaning 'to be able'. The modern adjective unpowered keeps the straightforward idea of lacking the force that normally makes a machine or vehicle run.

First known use

1892

1892, in the meaning defined above